AFCON 2017: Amiesimaka, Omokaro, Erico react to Keshi’s team list

Former internationals have added their voices to the assessment of the recently released team list of re-engaged Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi.

Keshi, it would be recalled was re-engaged to handle the Eagles after a long period of re-negotiation of his contract. Arguments had dragged back and forth over whether his performance at the last FIFA World Cup in Brazil as well as his failure to qualify the country for the 2015 Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea, were good enough to give him back the job.

The 26-man team made up of the home-based Eagles that he unveiled would commence immediate camping ahead of the qualification for the qualifier with Chad, ahead of the 2017 edition of AFCON

Joe Erico, a former Assistant coach of the Eagles said his invitation of the home-based players was expected. “The coach is one who likes to mix players and get good results, which would help them to improve on their performances.

“I was not surprised that Keshi picked the home-based players, because over time we have come to see that he prefers a combination of home based and foreign-based players.

“This will help to balance the equation as there will not be any superiority issue in the team. Everybody present will see themselves as equals, which will help to boost their morale,’’ Erico said.

A former Green Eagles player, Adokiye Amiesimaka said: “I don’t know what to make of Keshi’s list, because we have seen him do it before, bringing in domestic players and ending up not seeing them make the team.

“I’m not a soothsayer, Amaju Pinnick and co must have reasons for their choice and as for Keshi, I’m sure that he knows his mistakes; he should work on it.

“He will be in the best position to answer what his intensions are. We don’t want to see the players dropped at the end of the day, we will watch how things unfold’’.

Bright Omokaro, a former Eagles player called for support for Coach Keshi. “No matter who is in the list, all we have now is for all to give him the support; the list has many promising players from the premier league.

“I believe he is experienced to know the crop of players to add to the squad and I know they will win the match,” Omokaro said.

On his part, former Director-General, National Sports Commission (NSC), Amos Adamu said: “we should give him the necessary support, then we will take it from there. I think we should just allow Keshi do his thing’’.